An Osun State High Court in Osogbo has sentenced six men to two years in prison each for conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms during the 2023 general elections.
Justice M. Awe delivered the judgement, convicting Yinusa Rahmon, Moshood Hamzat, Awotunde Gbenga, Adebayo Mutiu, Femi Taiwo, and Najeem Omotuntun on two counts, while acquitting them on the third count — conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
The Federal Government, represented by prosecuting counsel Fatima Adesina, had charged the defendants under Sections 121, 125(1)(i), and 126(1)(f) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
According to the court, the Department of State Services arrested the men at a hotel in Ila Orangun on 18 March 2023 during the House of Assembly elections. They were found with two locally made guns, six cartridges, two cutlasses, a battle axe, and a Fulani sword.
Justice Awe stated the prosecution failed to prove that the men’s actions constituted a public disturbance, hence their discharge on that count. However, he imposed a one-year sentence or ₦100,000 fine on each defendant for conspiracy, and a two-year sentence or ₦200,000 fine each for unlawful possession of firearms. The sentences will run concurrently, but the fines are cumulative.